VANDALISM

Daniel MaurerSunday, workers transported items from the churchto their new home at Immaculate Conception.

The bells – alarm bells, that is – sounded at a recently shuttered church on East 12th Street.

Around 11 p.m. last night, a security alarm went off at Mary Help of Christians, seemingly in the rectory. The sirens sounded the same day acts of apparent vandalism were discovered inside of the church, but were no cause for concern: a police car pulled up in front of the church only to depart minutes later.

Jo Messina, a secretary at Immaculate Conception, told The Local there was no break-in. “Sometimes the sensors will detect if there are rats or mice,” she said.

Yesterday a source told The Local that the church’s alarm hadn’t been set when – sometime between Sunday and Monday morning – marble around the main tabernacle was smashed, a smaller tabernacle above the side altar was also damaged, and a hole was punched through the wall in the sacristy.

Vandals broke into Mary Help of Christians over the weekend, though the church’s precious relics had been moved out earlier in the week.

“There was vandalism at the church, but we don’t know exactly what happened,” said a secretary speaking on behalf of John Matcovich, parish manager at Immaculate Conception. “There was nothing major stolen. We don’t know anything more than that.”

Mr. Matcovich confirmed that the marble around the main tabernacle was smashed, a smaller tabernacle above the side altar was also damaged, and a hole was punched through the wall in the sacristy, a room where sacred vessels and vestments are normally stored. A church tabernacle is a fixed box where the Eucharist is kept. Read more…

Stephen Rex BrownNorman Jemal, the owner of the soon-to-open 7-Eleven on St. Marks Place, is ready to bury the hatchet with whoever smashed the window of his store.

The soda machine is already operating, the fridge is getting stocked with Gatorade, and the 14 coffee dispensers are in place. The new 7-Eleven on St. Marks Place is set to open on Wednesday with a new window pane on its storefront, following vandalism during Saturday night’s anarchist-fueled mayhem.

Stephen Rex BrownThe cracked window.

“People have the right to express themselves, hopefully non-violently and without property damage,” said the owner of the convenience store, Norman Jemal. “Everyone has the right to their own opinion — though I’m not exactly sure what their opinion is.”

Mr. Jemal had heard rumors about the rowdy goings-on at Astor Place and off of Washington Square Park that likely led to his window getting cracked, but said he was unaware of the details. After hearing about the attack on Starbucks, he sought to distance himself from other corporate businesses. “This is not a standard powerhouse chain store. They’re all franchised to people like me,” he said, adding that the replacement window is “not cheap.” Read more…

Have you seen the bus stop sign on St. Marks Place that seems to have been hacked down like an old oak tree? If not, Neighborhoodr has some fun photos. “No Standing” indeed.

In other news, the fire department had an early wake up call this morning. DNAinfo reports that a minor fire broke out at 5:43 a.m. at 40 Avenue D. It took firefighters 30 minutes to control the blaze on the eighth floor. No one was hurt and the cause of the fire is being investigated.

Finally, after the closing of Banjo Jim’s was delayed, the staff of the bluegrass, jazz, and Americana bar has now announced (per EV Grieve) that Monday is the final day of business. As you know, new owner Rob Ceraso is converting the space into an artisanal cocktail bar.

The folks over at EV Grieve have two sets of vandalism photos this morning; in one series, someone has spray painted cars parked along East First Street. In the second photo, someone has spray painted the Subway restaurant that will be opening soon on Avenue B.

Grieve also reports that there will soon be a new bakery on St. Marks Place. The new bakery, which an on-site worker said will open in two weeks, will be located at a spot that previously held thrift store-boutique Junk. Junk closed in early March.

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The Local was a journalistic collaboration designed to reflect the richness of the East Village, report on its issues and concerns, give voice to its people and create a space for our neighbors to tell stories about themselves. It was operated by the students and faculty of the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University, in collaboration with The New York Times, which provides supervision to ensure that the blog remains impartial, reporting-based, thorough and rooted in Times standards. Read more »